Knicks’ long road to NBA Finals finally paying off around Jalen Brunson

The Knicks didn’t suddenly become a Finals team overnight.

A lot of calculated swings, patient roster-building and smart decisions helped get them here.

According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, several major turning points shaped New York’s rise from playoff hopeful to Eastern Conference champion.

One of the earliest came when the Knicks traded Kristaps Porzingis years ago, giving the franchise future flexibility and eventually helping position it for bigger moves later.

Then came perhaps the most important decision of all — refusing to sacrifice major assets in a trade pursuit of Jalen Brunson before eventually signing him outright in free agency in 2022.

That move changed everything.

Since then, New York has continued aggressively building around Brunson, adding pieces such as Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart.

Now, after sweeping the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals, the Knicks are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

Brunson, meanwhile, is inching toward some rare historical territory.

According to ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill, only two players listed at 6-foot-2 or shorter have ever been the clear-cut centerpiece of a championship team — Isiah Thomas and Stephen Curry.

Brunson is now four wins away from joining that group.

Not bad for a signing that many around the NBA initially viewed as an overpay three years ago.